Pork and Heart Disease
Heart disease, also called cardiovascular disease, is the main cause of premature death worldwide. It includes adverse conditions, such as heart attacks, strokes, and high blood pressure. There are inconsistent results from observational studies on red meat and heart disease. Some studies have shown an increased risk for both processed and unprocessed red meat, whereas others showed an increased risk for processed meat only.
Others have not found any significant link.
However, there is no clear-cut evidence that meat, in itself, actually causes heart disease. Observational studies can only reveal possible associations, but cannot provide evidence for a direct cause-and-effect relationship. It is clear that high meat intake is linked with unhealthy lifestyle factors, such as low consumption of fruit and vegetables, less physical activity, smoking, and overeating, and most observational studies try to correct for these factors.
Another popular explanation involves the cholesterol and saturated fat content of meat.
However, dietary cholesterol has little or no effect on cholesterol levels in blood and is not considered a health concern. The link between saturated fats and heart disease is also unclear and many high-quality studies have not found any significant association.
Bottom Line: Moderate consumption of lean pork, as a part of a healthy diet, is unlikely to increase the risk of heart disease.
